April 24, 2025
Driving Habits & Charging Needs: Advising Customers on EV Charger Choice
5 Min. Read
Switching to an electric vehicle (EV) has many benefits, but understanding the difference and significance of amperage, voltage, and watts—and then using this information when determining the best charging options for your needs—can feel overwhelming for new EV drivers.
Fortunately, that’s where electrical contractors can help! As a licensed electrician specializing in these technologies and an expert in all things electrical, you’re not just installing hardware; you are uniquely qualified to be a trusted guide for EV charging solutions to your customers.
Want to learn how to help customers find the perfect EV charger? Let’s explore how driving habits and EV charging needs play a role in choosing the right electric vehicle charger and supporting your customers in their journey to driving electric.
Driving Habits and EV Ranges
New EV owners often worry about range and whether their battery holds enough charge.
In reality, modern EVs average nearly 300 miles of range, far more than most drivers need—especially since the average commute is just 37 miles a day!
Talking about driving habits is a great way to show that you understand how much EV range customers actually need. From there, ask about the battery capacity of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) or EV model they own or plan to get. It will most likely far exceed their daily driving needs.
The next step is introducing the idea that charging doesn’t necessarily need to happen daily. You can also discuss charging speed and explain that a relatively slow speed is likely enough to meet their range needs when they are charging overnight several times a week.
EV Charger Amperage and EV Charger Choice
Most customers understand that EV charger amperage affects charging speed, but they often have only a vague understanding of the concept, which can lead to the common misconception that an 80-amp EV charger will speed up their charging. This is true, but only for EVs that are already compatible with 80-amp EV chargers!
To better help them understand it in simple terms, you can explain amperage as the amount of electricity flowing through a circuit.
A higher amperage technically allows for faster charging—a Level 2 80-amp charger will deliver faster speeds compared to Level 1 charging at 12 amps—but it is important to communicate that higher amperage doesn’t always mean faster charging.
For safety reasons, EV chargers can’t exceed the amperage capacity of the EV battery. For example, you could install the most powerful Level 2 charger on the market (which at this time would be capable of providing 80 amps), but if your customer’s EV battery can only handle 40 amps, the charger still wouldn’t deliver more than 40 amps.
The best advice you can give to your customers is to match their EV charger to their EV specs. That way, they’ll get the best charging speed possible without overspending on a high-end charger and associated installation costs.
Once you know more about their EV or PHEV model, you can give your customers a charging time estimate for different charger models. This kind of information turns complex concepts like EV charger amperage into real benefits and gives customers the confidence to make the right EV charger choice.
Electrical Upgrades and Future-Proofing
Along with driving and charging habits and amperage, it is also important to discuss how an EV charger’s capacity is limited by the amount of power it can draw through a home’s electrical infrastructure.
As a contractor, you’re no stranger to the fact that most homes have a 100-amp panel. With Level 2 EV chargers drawing between 32 to 80 amps, charging an EV can consume a good portion of a home’s electrical capacity, potentially leading to issues with other circuits.
Before discussing an EV charger choice, you should assess a home’s electrical infrastructure, perform an EV charger load calculation, and bring up possible upgrades and associated costs and benefits with the homeowner.
Ideally, customers should choose a charger powerful enough to match their EV specs while still supporting essential circuits, which may require a load-management device, subpanel, or electrical panel upgrade to safely support their EV charger installation while also balancing the other electrical needs of their home, such as lighting, appliances, and HVAC.
It can also be beneficial to invest in a 200-amp panel upgrade to prepare for your customer’s future electrical needs. Installing an 80-amp charger now is likely overkill, but having an infrastructure ready to handle it has many upsides, such as increasing home value.
Additionally, with 36% of households having two or more cars, it’s only a matter of time before two-EV households become more common. While some customers might not anticipate this possibility, dual-charging will likely become a future need.
You can also emphasize the importance of EV battery advancements. Each new generation of EVs brings improvements in range and capacity, meaning that future models will likely support a higher amperage. Having the infrastructure in place for a charger upgrade would help you prepare for this.
EVs aren’t the only growing electrification trend. More households are embracing electric appliances, such as heat pumps, and a 200-amp panel is ideal for handling electric loads from these additional appliances.
Become a Trusted Electrification Partner With Qmerit
EV charger choice is an opportunity to guide your customers toward the ideal mix of savings and optimal charging speed.
Whether it’s through explaining electrical concepts or recommending specific products, your expertise can help break down EV charging and prepare customers for an increasingly electric future.
You don’t have to do it alone! As a Qmerit-certified installer, you’ll get access to all the resources you need to become a trusted electrification partner, including an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program certification.
As the largest network of certified EV charger installers in North America, Qmerit is North America’s electrification leader and is recommended by automakers, EV charger manufacturers, utilities, businesses, and homeowners alike.
Our network of certified electricians has installed more EV chargers and other electrification technologies in the last decade than anyone else in the industry—more than 770,000 EV charging station installations, 37,000 battery storage installations, 81,000 solar panel system integrations, and 86,000 electric panel upgrades in homes and businesses across the U.S. and Canada! We have the knowledge and experience to help electrical contractors grow their electrification business.
By joining our unique Certified Solutions Partner program, you can access comprehensive training on installing and servicing energy transition technologies, including access to the prestigious Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP) and direct training and installation opportunities with our leading auto manufacturer and EVSE partners.
But we don’t just help you train your existing electricians—Qmerit is here to help you build your business every step of the way. Partner with Qmerit today to learn more about recruiting new electricians for your electrical contracting company and building your business for tomorrow!
